Doug Ducey Executive Order Sends Patients’ Home Addresses And Phone Numbers To State Government and CDC And Builds Creepy Public Database
Patrick Howley
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Arizona Republican governor Doug Ducey quietly issued an executive order that gives the government access to the personal information of Coronavirus patients, people who take Coronavirus tests, and people who get the Coronavirus vaccine. Ducey also orders the state of Arizona to send information on vaccine recipients to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). On October 7, Ducey signed an “Enhanced Surveillance Advisory” called Executive Order: 2021-19. On that date, the executive order became active for 60 days. Thus, people in Arizona are already having their personal information hoarded by the government and shared with the Feds.
Ducey’s executive order requires hospitals to send the home addresses and phone numbers of all Coronavirus patients to the state’s health agency. The executive order also requires labs to send the names, phone numbers and addresses of everyone who takes a Coronavirus test — whether it comes out positive or negative — to the state health agency. Ducey’s executive order requires vaccine providers to report the names, addresses, and phone numbers of every patient who takes the Coronavirus vaccine to the state health agency and orders the state health agency to report this vaccine information to the federal Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Biden administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Ducey also forces possibly unwilling civilians to have their information preserved on a “statewide health information exchange.”
Ducey has ordered hospitals to send the personal information including home addresses and phone numbers of all Arizonan COVID patients to the state’s Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) Ducey’s executive order states: “all licensed hospitals…excluding Special Hospitals only providing psychiatric services, shall report through EMResource or alternative form to the ADHS every twenty-four hours: A line list of all COVID-19 confirmed patients containing name, date of birth, gender, race/ethnicity, residential address, phone number, whether the patient was admitted, hospital admission date…”
Ducey has ordered all labs to submit personal information including the names, addresses and phone numbers of everyone who even TAKES a Coronavirus test, whether or not those people test positive or negative. Ducey’s executive order states: “Pursuant to the Enhanced Surveillance Advisory, a laboratory…shall report all COVID-19 test results by name (positive, negative, and lineage) to ADHS in an electronic format…For laboratories reporting to ADHS through electronic lab reporting (“ELR”), results of all COVID-19 tests…For each specimen the report shall include: 1. The name and address of the laboratory; 2. The name and telephone number of the director of the clinical laboratory; 3. The name and, as available, the address, telephone number, and email address of the subject; 4. The date of birth of the subject; 5. The gender of the subject…”
Ducey has ordered ADHS to send people’s vaccine information to the CDC and HHS, the Immunization Gateway Project of the Association of Public Health Laboratories, and the American Immunization Registry Association. Ducey’s executive order states: “Pursuant to the Enhanced Surveillance Advisory…ADHS shall collaborate with the following: a. The CDC and HHS by sharing the State’s COVID-19 immunization and vaccine administration information with the CDC and HHS pursuant to and in accordance with its Data Use and Sharing Agreement; b. The Association of Public Health Laboratories by sharing the State’s COVID-19 immunization and vaccine administration information with the Immunization Gateway Project pursuant to and in accordance with its Data Use agreement; and c. Signatories of the Public Health IIS Interjurisdictional Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”), with the American Immunization Registry Association serving as the administrator, by sharing the State’s COVID-19 immunization and vaccine administration information pursuant to and in accordance with its MOU.”
The executive order makes it clear that people’s personal information is collected by the state, and thus the personal information will be submitted to the CDC and HHS. The executive order states that “an individual, healthcare provider, or local health agency who administers COVID-19 vaccine shall report the following through a Department-required format to ADHS every twenty-four hours: a. The individual’s name, date of birth, gender, race/ethnicity, residential address, phone number, and vaccine priority group; b. The vaccine product information, including CVX, dose number, lot number, manufacturer, and expiration date; c. The route of administration and administration site on the patient’s body; d. The month, day, and year of each immunization; e. The facility administration site details including facility name, type, address, and ASIIS Pandemic PIN number; and f. Attest to providing the individual with follow up information if a second dose is required.”
People in Arizona have their health information added to a “statewide health information exchange,” even if they may not want their information to be accessible in this way. Ducey’s executive order states: “ADHS shall collaborate with Health Current, AHCCCS, health care providers and health plans to make all COVID-19 related data — including but not limited to COVID-19 immunization and vaccine administration information that is received by ADHS, a local health authority or public health authority — accessible through the statewide health information exchange for any purpose permitted by the health insurance portability and accountability act privacy standards….including but not limited to for treatment, care coordination and case management purposes. Such information sharing may be permitted, regardless of whether any individuals have opted out of having their individually identifiable health information accessible through the health information organization pursuant to…”
The executive order states that “a health care institution licensed pursuant to A.R.S. Title 36, Chapter 4 may require the institution’s employees to be vaccinated.” Conservatives may find this provision appalling.
The executive order states: “WHEREAS, in furtherance of the federal government response efforts, the CDC, an agency of HHS requires the State’s COVID-19 immunization and vaccine administration data for a range of purposes, including: rapidly assessing patterns of vaccination among populations; identifying pockets of undervaccination; assisting in determining vaccine resource allocation to address the needs of State; monitoring vaccine effectiveness and safety, assessing spectrum of illness, disease burden, risk factors for severe disease and outcomes; and helping to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the healthcare system and communities…”
The order also states that “WHEREAS, in furtherance of local response efforts, ADHS requires continued robust and accurate information sharing between and among ADHS, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), health care providers and health plans to combat the COVID-19 pandemic…”
“The order states that “Congress has found that the CDC has an essential role in defending against and combatting public health threats and requires secure and modern facilities, and expanded, improved, and appropriately maintained capabilities related to public health emergencies, sufficient to enable the CDC to conduct this important mission…”
The executive order states that, according to a U.S. Code, “the Secretary shall expand, improve, enhance and appropriately maintain the capabilities of the CDC relating to preparedness for and responding to public health emergencies, which may include improving capabilities for public health surveillance and reporting activities…”
The executive order states that, according to a U.S. Code, “the Secretary, directly or through awards of grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements, shall provide for the establishment of an integrated system or systems of public health alert communications and surveillance networks between and among federal, state and public health officials as well as public and private health-related laboratories, hospitals, immunization information systems, and other health care facilities…”
The executive order states that “the CDC is a public health authority” and adds that “public health authorities are authorized to collect and receive protected health information for the purpose of preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability and the conduct of public health surveillance, public health investigation, and public health interventions…”
“WHEREAS, immunization information systems (“IIS”) support health care providers, families and public health through consolidating immunization information into one reliable source” the executive order states and adds that “according to the CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook for Jurisdiction Operations, the CDC not only requires jurisdictions to facilitate and monitor IIS reporting by enrolled vaccination providers, but also requires vaccination providers enrolled in the COVID-19 Vaccination Program to report certain data elements for each dose administered within twenty-four hours of administration…”
As I previously reported in April 2020: Arizona Republican Governor Doug Ducey sits on the Board of Governors for an institute that is accepting state health department funding to conduct Coronavirus testing in the state of Arizona. That institute happens to be an affiliate of a nonprofit that is working to develop a Coronavirus vaccine that is not expected to begin clinical trials until late 2020. Insiders tell NATIONAL FILE that Ducey might not be a trustworthy leader in the cause of re-opening the state economy. Ducey is delaying setting a firm date on re-opening the state, citing safety concerns while testing is underway. Ducey presides over legislature-approved state emergency spending and also a portion of his state’s $1.5 billion from the federal government.
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) began its testing efforts for Coronavirus in early 2020, including working with the state government. TGen is testing samples for Coronavirus and is also working on creating a “statewide tracking network for COVID-19,” according to a TGen press release. Governor Doug Ducey is currently listed as a member of the Board of Governors for TGen.
The Arizona state health department is funding Phoenix-based TGen to broaden the nonprofit group’s lab capacity to produce Coronavirus testing. The Arizona Republic reported: “The department also said it has partnered with labs like Sonora Quest, TGen and the University of Arizona to provide funding that will allow them to increase their lab capacity.”
TGen identifies itself on Twitter as “an affiliate of City of Hope.” On the TGen About Us page, “TGen: An Affiliate of City of Hope,” the group explains: “TGen has joined forces with City of Hope to accelerate the speed at which scientists and medical staff convert research discoveries into cures for patients. The alliance is based on a simple premise: City of Hope provides a state-of-the-art clinical setting in which to advance genomic breakthroughs made by TGen.”
California-based City of Hope is currently working on developing a Coronavirus vaccine. City of Hope viral immunologist Don Diamond predicted in March that phase 1 clinical trials of City of Hope’s vaccine could kick off in 6 to 8 months.“We’re working very hard to produce different candidates and will study them in various conditions to answer the questions that are unknown. We are not using the actual pathogen. We’re using a carrier and made synthetic versions of the antigens, and we’re inserting that into a carrier, what’s known as a subunit strategy. City of Hope will initially develop the vaccine, but at some point we hope to have a commercial partner,” Diamond said on the City of Hope blog.
TGEN Board of Governors
In March, the Flinn Foundation in Phoenix announced a $100,000 grant to TGen for Coronavirus testing. Also in March, Dawn Wallace, who worked in Governor Ducey’s office, became a vice president at the Flinn Foundation.
A January 2020 Flinn Foundation item noted: “Two Flinn-Brown Fellows and the former senior program manager of the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation were recently appointed by Gov. Doug Ducey to new high-level state positions….Ducey appointed Flinn-Brown Fellow Daniel Ruiz as the state’s chief operating officer and Fellow Trista Guzman-Glover as the director of boards and commissions. Ruiz, who joined the Governor’s office in 2015, was previously Ducey’s senior advisor while Guzman-Glover, who has served in various roles over the past five years, was most recently the director of constituent services.”
TGen North in Arizona joined a tuberculosis research partnership in 2017 courtesy of a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, according to a press release. TGen received a sub-award from a $1.1 million Gates Foundation grant to a TGen partner organization. The press release stated: “The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded the Critical Path to TB Drug Regimens (CPTR), an initiative of Tucson’s Critical Path Institute (C-Path), a $1.1 million grant to enrich its Relational Sequencing TB Data Platform (ReSeqTB). Under a sub-award from C-Path, the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) Pathogen Genomics Division, or TGen North, will sequence nearly 12,000 TB bacteria isolates from around the world.”
The Flinn Foundation has funded C-Path, the TGen partner group that received the Gates Foundation grant for tuberculosis research.
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